Antibiotics for staphylococcus aureus for children

Early childhood is the period of formation of the immune, nervous and other systems of the body. It is clear that in the conditions of a fragile organism any infection will be very dangerous. Firstly, the infection does not see a big barrier to penetration inside. The infant still has only innate immunity, which is not able to fight most infections, and the acquired one will be formed for several more years. In addition, it is very difficult to protect a small child, whose hands are constantly reaching for his mouth, from the ubiquitous staphylococcus.

Secondly, having penetrated the body, the infection does not experience any noticeable resistance from the immature immune system and can actively develop, causing severe symptoms of the disease. It would seem that it would be better to treat infectious diseases in a child in a hospital, where there is competent medical staff and sterility, but, alas, reality says the opposite. The likelihood of catching staphylococcus in a hospital is higher than in everyday life.

The reason for this turn of events is the amazing vitality and resistance of staphylococcal infection to environmental changes. It feels great both outside and inside the body, is not afraid of the cold and does not always die when boiled. It can be effectively fought, especially when it gets inside the body, only with the help of antibiotics. But even with such an enemy, the bacterium finds its own methods of fighting. Its ability to adapt and survive in any conditions is very high. And if you consider that even one microscopic organism is capable of creating a million-dollar inheritance in a short time, then even the percentage of bacteria that dies during antibiotic therapy does not make much difference.

If the treatment of staphylococcal infection in adults, especially its golden and hemolytic types, presents certain difficulties, so that one or two or three or more drugs have to be prescribed, then what can we say about children, for whom the choice of relatively safe antibiotics is limited. After all, a child's body is very sensitive to the effects of harmful factors. In addition, many organs and systems of the child are still in the formation stage, and the toxic effect of the drugs themselves can play a cruel joke when antibiotic treatment of staphylococcus in the throat subsequently hits the kidneys or liver.

What can I say, antibiotics are not safe in the sense that they do not have a selective effect on harmful and beneficial microflora. Moreover, the latter usually suffers even more. But beneficial bacteria not only support the functioning of the body, and in particular the digestive system, but are also responsible for immunity. Therefore, very often, treating children with antibiotics for staphylococcus and other pathogenic bacteria ends with a violation of the body's microflora, dysbacteriosis with all its unpleasant symptoms (nausea, dyspepsia, diarrhea, dehydration, etc.) and new problems associated with the fact that the child begins to get sick with viral and bacterial pathologies even more often.

In this regard, it should be said that treatment of diarrhea with antibiotics should be carried out in combination with the intake of probiotics, which restore beneficial microflora in the body. Moreover, the intake of probiotics should begin from the first days of antibiotic therapy and end a few days after taking the last dose of antibacterial medication.

The most preferred antibiotic for staph in a child is a penicillin-type drug, since such drugs can usually be prescribed already in infancy. In more severe cases or if the detected strain is resistant to penicillins, it is recommended to turn to cephalosporin antibiotics, which are active against a specific type of staph.

These drugs are considered low-toxic, but they have one significant drawback - a high probability of developing intolerance reactions. If such a reaction is detected just once, treatment with penicillins and cephalosporins will be impossible for the rest of the patient's life.

If such a situation arises, it is necessary to choose effective drugs from other groups of antibiotics. Macrolides are considered the least toxic. But they exhibit a bactericidal effect, which helps to quickly destroy the staphylococcus population in the patient's body, only in large doses, which is unacceptable when it comes to children. And the bacteriostatic effect does not always give the expected result.

And no matter how hard doctors try to choose the least dangerous antibiotics for the child's body, in difficult situations of intolerance to penicillins and cephalosporins and insufficient effectiveness of macrolides, it is still necessary to resort to the help of rather toxic, but stronger drugs: aminoglycosides, nitrofurans, fluoroquinolones, vancomycin, sulfonamides, glycopeptides, etc. Of these, fluoroquinolones are considered the most toxic.

But on the other hand, among penicillins there are also drugs with a nephrotoxic effect (negative impact on the kidneys). This is methicillin, which has replaced regular penicillin and is actively used in the treatment of staphylococcal infection, as well as carboxypenicillins and ureidopenicillins, which are inactive against staphylococcus.

Nephrotoxicity is also characteristic of first-generation cephalosporin drugs, aminoglycosides (Gentamicin, Kanamycin, etc.), vancomycin, sulfonamides. But glycopeptides are no less dangerous for children, which, along with aminoglycosides, can negatively affect a child’s hearing, causing both reversible and irreversible consequences.

When choosing a treatment for a child, it is necessary to take all these points into account. If it is possible to use less safe antibiotics for staph in children, it should be used first. If such treatment is impossible or does not help, it will be necessary to prescribe more toxic drugs, but in a minimal course with the selection of the most gentle, but effective dosages.

In any case, when prescribing antibiotics to children, the child's age and weight, the presence of congenital and acquired pathologies that can complicate treatment, the reaction to antibiotics in the past, etc. should be taken into account. Most often, antibiotics are prescribed in tablets, but it is impossible to treat infants and children under 3 years of age with such forms of drugs. In these cases, antibiotics are prescribed in the form of syrups, suspensions, injection solutions. Therapy with the latter should be carried out only in a hospital setting under the constant supervision of medical personnel, because in this case the likelihood of dangerous side effects is greatest.

Treatment of children has always been the concern of adults, who must make it as effective and fast as possible, but at the same time as safe as possible. After all, children are our future, and it must be healthy and happy.

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